The Calgary Flames picked up their third win in four games Thursday night, holding off the Minnesota Wild for a 2-1 victory at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

It was a homecoming of sorts for Blake Coleman, who returned to Calgary after joining the Wild last season. Olli Määttä also made his return to the Saddledome, but it was the home side that came away with the two points.

The Flames got the job done with a pair of power-play goals in the first period before leaning on their penalty kill and goaltender Devin Cooley to close things out.

Aydar Suniev opened the scoring on the man advantage, as Adam Klapka worked the puck out front and found Suniev. The rookie forward wasted little time, firing a shot into the top of the net for his third goal of the season and a 1-0 Calgary lead.

The Flames doubled their advantage on another power play. Morgan Frost fired the initial shot, with the rebound falling to Joel Farabee in front of the net. Farabee made no mistake, burying his first goal of the season into the open cage to give Calgary a 2-0 lead.

The second period was kept scoreless, but the Flames had to work for it. Calgary killed off two penalties to maintain their advantage, showing some much-needed structure against one of the league’s more dangerous offensive teams.

Minnesota finally broke through at 4:39 of the third period. After the Flames killed off their third penalty of the night, Michael McCarron took a pass from Nico Sturm near the faceoff dot and wired a shot over Cooley to cut the lead to 2-1.

That was as close as the Wild would get.

Cooley shut the door the rest of the way, making several important saves down the stretch, including a few big stops in the final minute, to preserve the victory.

It wasn’t the flashiest win of the season, but the Flames will take it. Two power-play goals, a perfect penalty kill and another strong performance from their goaltender were enough to get the job done.

Three Takeaways

1. Aydar Suniev continues to make his case

Suniev’s third goal of the season was another reminder of the offensive tools he brings to the table.

The shot itself was impressive, but the sequence also highlighted his quick release and ability to anticipate the play. Suniev recognized his opportunity, got himself into position and wasted little time getting the puck off his stick.

Those are the kinds of details that can separate a young player who is simply getting a look from one who is making a legitimate case to stick around.

His skill is evident. Now, it’s about continuing to show that he can translate those tools into consistent NHL production.

2. The penalty kill did its job

The Flames went a perfect four-for-four on the penalty kill against a Minnesota team capable of making opponents pay for their mistakes.

Calgary did a good job limiting the Wild’s opportunities, keeping much of the action to the perimeter and preventing Minnesota from consistently generating dangerous looks around the net.

That structure, combined with some timely saves from Cooley, proved to be a significant factor in the outcome.

The Wild eventually found the back of the net at five-on-five, but the Flames’ penalty kill deserves credit for keeping them off the board on the man advantage.

3. Devin Cooley continues to deliver

Cooley turned aside 36 shots to help Calgary secure its third win in four games, putting together another strong performance between the pipes.

Minnesota pushed back after falling behind 2-0, and the Flames needed their goaltender to make some important stops as the game tightened up. Cooley answered the call, showing good compete, battling through traffic and coming up with timely saves when Calgary needed them most.

The McCarron goal gave the Wild some life in the third period, but Cooley didn’t allow the momentum to swing any further. His work in the final minute was particularly important as Minnesota searched for an equalizer.

Calgary has been looking for consistency in goal, and performances like this go a long way toward providing it.